Michael is one of Europe’s leading experts on state aid law

Michael is considered one of the leading lawyers in the field of state aid law in Europe. 

Michael is specialized in competition law, state aid law, and general EU law (free movement law, EU procedural law, etc.). Michael also advises about general contract law. Michael has extensive litigation experience and regularly handles cases in the Danish courts and before the Court of Justice of the European Union. Michael is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court.

International education and background

In addition to a Master of Laws degree from the University of Copenhagen, Michael holds an LL.M. degree from the College of Europe in Bruges. Michael has also received a diploma as a business correspondent in French from Copenhagen Business School and has taken a 2-year degree in Executive Coaching.  

Michael has worked as a lawyer in Bech-Bruun from 2005 to 2019, since 2012 as a partner in its department for EU and competition law. Before this, Michael worked as a référendaire at the Court of the European Union in Luxembourg (2002-2005) and as junior associate with the law firms of Liedekerke and Ashurst in Brussels (2001-2002).

Michael Honoré

Awards from international ratings agencies

Michael has been acclaimed as a "Leading Individual" in EU, competition, and procurement law in Denmark by the prestigious Legal 500 and listed in the leading rating publication Chambers in the Competition/European law category. Additionally, Michael has been designated as a "Thought leader" in Competition - State Aid by the renowned Who's Who Legal.

"Michael Honoré is a leading specialist and provides specialist advice. He handles high profiles cases before the European courts. He is a highly skilled competition lawyer with particularly deep knowledge, and is a very pleasant person to work with. Michael is a state aid law star."

"He has unparalleled knowledge and experience."

"He has vast knowledge in his practice areas and is a pleasure to work with.
He is very thorough."
Honoré, Michael

Insight in a number of sectors

Michael has given advice within many sectors and industries, but has over the years worked particularly extensively within the areas of food and agriculture, infrastructure (transport, energy, IT and telecommunications, payment services), and R&D&I (research, development and innovation). Michael has also represented clients in a series of EU and state aid law cases involving taxes and levies.


Extensive academic activity

For a number of years, Michael has taught competition law, state aid law, EU procedural law (”EU law in practice”), and legal ethics at, among other places, the University of Copenhagen and the Danish Bar and Law Society. 

Michael is a prolific author in the area of state aid law and regularly speaks at international conferences. Michael is also co-founder and deputy chairman of the Danish State Aid Law Association (danskforeningforstatsstoetteret.dk) and Academic Director with Lexxion (lexxion.de), where he has also been Managing Editor of the leading state aid law journal European State Aid Law Quarterly (estal.de). 

Since 2002, Michael has served as international judge at the world’s largest EU law moot court competition, European Law Moot Court Competition (europeanlawmootcourt.eu).

Engagements and memberships in a number of associations, networks, and businesses

Michael is a board member for Dansk Europamission (forfulgtekristne.dk) and deputy chairman of the board of the Danish State Aid Law Association. 

Michael is a member of the Connect Denmark network (connectdenmark.com). Connect Denmark helps entrepreneurs and businesses with business development. Michael also serves on a number of advisory boards and regularly provides pro bono advice to impact start-ups.

Languages

Michael advises in Danish, English and French. Michael is also happy to communicate in Italian, German, Swedish and Norwegian.

Publications and speeches

  • “Enforcement of State Aid by National Courts - Highlights from 2019 DG COMP Study and 2019 Recovery Notice”, Danish State Aid Law Association, Copenhagen, 7 October 2019 (speaker)
  • “State Aid Pitfall - from a practitioner’s perspective”, Conference organized by Swedish Network for European Legal Studies, Stockholm, 14 June 2019 (speaker)
  • “Private Enforcement - A Practical Case Study”, European State Aid Law Institute, Brussels, 29 November 2018 (speaker)
  • “Material Selectivity in Fiscal Aid – Latest Developments and Practical Implications”, European State Aid Law Institute, Copenhagen, 15 June 2018 (speaker)
  • “Selectivity & State Aid in the aftermath of Spanish Goodwill & Flughafen Lübeck”, Global Competition Law Centre's (GCLC) Lunch Talks, Brussels, 6 March 2017 (speaker)
  • “Public Activities on Commercial Markets: The Issue of Cross-Subsidisation”, European State Aid Law Quarterly No. 2/2017, pp. 181-192 (article)
  • “Taxation and State Aid In a Nutshell”, UCPH Tax Link-seminar, University of Copenhagen, 27 November 2017 (speaker)
  • “Collaboration between research institutions and undertakings”, European State Aid Law Institute, European State Aid Law Institute, 22 November 2017, Madrid (speaker)
  • “Practical Challenges of Proximity to the State”, European State Aid Law Institute, 20-22 April 2017, Lake Starnberg (speaker)
  • Selectivity, Chapter 4 in ‘EU State Aid Control - Law and Economics’, Edited by Philipp Werner & Vincent Verouden, Wolters Kluwers (2017) (books)
  • “Public Procurement Requirements of the SGEI Package”, European State Aid Law Institute, State Aid Conference in Copenhagen, 2 December 2016 (speaker)
  • “How to Treat Public Authorities Performing Economic Activities?”, European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI), State Aid Workshop in Copenhagen, 1 December 2016 (speaker)
  • “Are you a State Aid Recipient – Without Knowing it?”, Paris, 19 February 2016 (speaker)
  • “Fiscal Aid – All Clear?” (Editorial), European State Aid law Quarterly 3/2015 (article)
  • ”EU's statsstøtteregler - udfordringer og muligheder”, Erhvervsjuridisk tidsskrift, 2015 (article)
  • “Infrastructure Funding in Compliance with State Aid Rules”, King’s College London, State Aid Workshop, 11 March 2015 (speaker)
  • “The New Initiative Against Fiscal Aid Distortions”, European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI), State Aid Conference in Vienna, 4-5 December 2014 (speaker)
  • “Financing Infrastructure in Compliance with State Aid Rules”, European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI), State Aid Conference in Sofia - 28-29 September, 2014 (speaker)
  • ”Recent Danish legislation – strengthening the Danish rules on State aid”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift, 2013  (article)
  • “Latest Developments in the case-law of the European Courts”, Brussels, European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI), 2013 (speaker)
  • “State Aid and Infrastructure Funding – Any Mysteries Left”, conference, Copenhagen, European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI), 2012 (speaker)
  • “State Aid Issues Arising from the Sale of “State Aid Infected” Essential Assets” and “Rescue and Restructuring Aid – Developments in Recent Case-law – the Fagor Brandt Judgment”, workshop at the European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI), 2012 (speaker)
  • ”Statsstøtte – Den offentlige Vinkel”, conference, Copenhagen, Bech-Bruun, 2012 (speaker)
  • “The Notion of State Aid – Comments on the Land Burgenland Judgment and the recent SGEI Package”, workshop, Brussels, European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI), 2012 (speaker)
  • “Report from the Autumn Conference on European State Aid Law 2011”, European State Aid Law Quarterly (4 pages), 2012 (articles)
  • ”Selectivity and Taxation”, State aid conference, Aarhus Business School / University of Aarhus, 2011 (speaker)
  • ”Effektiv tilbagesøgning af statsstøtte – en kommentar til Kastrup Strandpark-sagen”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift (2 pages), 2011 (article)
  • ”Statsstøtte til havneinfrastruktur – konsekvenserne af Kommissionens nye kurs”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift (9 pages), 2011 (article)
  • “Damages in State Aid Cases”, European State Aid Law Quarterly (21 pages), 2011 (article)
  • ”Normaliseringen af EU's statsstøtteregler udskudt”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift (5 pages), 2011 (article)
  • EU Karnov – Chapter 5 ("Statshandelsmonopoler") and Chapter 17 ("Statsstøtte"), Thomson, 2010, (book - co-author)
  • “Damages in State Aid Cases”, European State Aid Quarterly, 2010 (article)
  • “Enforcement of EU State Aid Law at National Level” (Lovells Study, commissioned by the European Commission), Lexxion, 2010, (book – co-author) 
  • “The Revision of the State aid Broadcasting Communication”, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Business School (CBS), 2009 (speaker)
  • “Selectivity and Taxation – Reflections in the Light of Case C-487/06 P, British Aggregates Association”, European State Aid Law Quarterly (10 pages), 2009 (article)
  • EU Karnov 2008 – Chapter 7 ("Statshandelsmonopoler"), Chapter 20 ("Statsstøtte"), Chapter 46 ("Domstolens beføjelser") and Chapter 58 ("Unionstraktatens afsluttende bestemmelser"), Thomson, 2008, (book)
  • “Annotation of Case T-442/03, SIC versus Commission”, European State Aid Law Quarterly (11 pages), 2008 (article)
  • ”Tilbagesøgning af ulovlig og forenelig statsstøtte ved de nationale domstole”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift (15 pages), 2008 (article)
  • “The problem of Cross-Subsidisation in Newly Liberalised Sectors”, Published in connection with Proceedings of the 5th Experts' Forum held in Brussels on 21 and 22 May 2007, 2007 (article)
  • “Labour and Employment Law in the New EU Member and Candidate States”, edited by Anders Etgen Reitz – Chapter 1 ("EU Law"), ABA Publishing, 2007, (book – co-author) 
  • “The Standing of Third Parties in State Aid Cases, European State Aid Law Quarterly” (15 pages), 2006 (article)
  • “Fiscal Policy and State Aid – Recent Developments in the Case Law of the ECJ”, Proceedings of the 3rd Experts' Forum held in Brussels on 26 and 27 May 2005, (speaker and article)
  • EU Karnov 2005 – Chapter 7 ("Statshandelsmonopoler"), Chapter 20 ("Statsstøtte"), Chapter 46 ("Domstolens beføjelser") and Chapter 58 ("Unionstraktatens afsluttende bestemmelser"), Thomson, 2005 (book)
  • ”EF-Patentretten og retssikkerhed”, Lov & Ret, 2003 (article)
  • EU Karnov 2003 – Chapter 7 (”Statshandelsmonopoler”), Chapter 46 (”Domstolens beføjelser”) and Chapter 58 (”Unionstraktatens afsluttende bestemmelser”), Thomson, 2003 (book)
  • “Slot Allocation and EC Competition Law – Getting Airport Access Right – The principle of Grandfather Rights – an Insurmountable Barrier to Entry?”, Forlaget Kontrast, 2001 (book)
  • “The Long-Running TV 2 Saga Concludes with a Settlement”, European State Aid Law Review 2022, issue 4, p. 453 et seq. (article)
  • “Tilbagesøgning af ulovlig statsstøtte I lyset af dommene i Eesti Pagar, Nelson og CELF”, Danish State Aid Law Association, 28 September 2021 (speech)
  • ”State Aid and COVID-19 – Hot Topics (Editorial)", European State Aid Law Review 2020, issue 2, p. 111 et seq. (article)
  • “COVID-19 Measures Adopted by Denmark”, European State Aid Law Review 2020, issue 1, p. 81 et seq. (article)